Darryl W. Bullock: I wanted to write a book about LGBTQ people making records, but to be honest, it was a bit dull. It was starting to look a bit like an encyclopedia, an A-to-Z of gay musicians. Then, maybe three or four months into the project, David Bowie died, and his death struck me really viscerally.

But it was while I saw how others reacted to his death, especially the stars I grew up with—the Boy Georges and the George Michaels and the Madonnas—that I realized I was going down the wrong track. I realized the book shouldn’t just be about LGBTQ people making records, but how they influenced each generation that followed. You start to build up this timeline, and it stretches back over 100 years, almost back to the birth of commercially available discs.

It was also a definite decision to include voices you don’t hear of. It would be easy to write a book just about Elton John, George Michael, Boy George, Freddie Mercury, those kinds of people. But I really wanted to document the lives of people like Patrick Haggerty, Blackberri and John “Smokey” Condon (pic above), people who have made incredibly important contributions to music and to LGBTQ lives but have been basically ignored by the mainstream media.

Ask any gay bar patron in Hell’s Kitchen or WeHo who their favorite pop diva is and you’re likely to get one of four responses: Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé or Lady Gaga. Older audiences may throw in Cher or Janet Jackson, while youths may stan for Ariana Grande or Rihanna. One thing’s for sure, though: it’s unlikely you’re going to find someone who ranks P!nk as their ultimate diva. But why is that?

Tori Amos' mind is one of the greatest wonders of the music world. For over three decades, via an oeuvre as unpredictable as the muses that guide her, that very mind has been a trove of lyrical salvation and a divine mélange of eccentricities, insight, imagination and, as I discovered during our illuminating exchange, even "Mean Girls" references.

Before last year's political turn of events, the piano virtuoso took a summer road trip through North Carolina's Smoky Mountains to reconnect to her familial roots, setting into motion her nature-influenced 15th studio album, "Native Invader." Featuring some of her best music in years, as influenced by these divisive times and a speech-crippling stroke her mother suffered in January, the album's emotional core is resilient and healing despite "a cluster of hostile humans who side with their warlords of hate," as she brazenly sings, calling for us to "rehumanize."

Amos, 54, took me to every remote corner of her meandering mind during our recent interview, name-dropping everyone from Persephone to Regina George and the two gay men who helped transform her into the Tori Amos. But there's more: "the new invasion of the body snatchers," exercising to rap, being postmenopausal in 2017 America, the prospect of a Vegas show with hot male dancers and also Washington D.C., the "underworld" where she launched her career, unknowingly performing for political players who would set the stage for crucial issues Amos and the entire country are now facing.

Rostam Batmanglij (seen above in a behind-the-scenes image from Charli XCX’s “Boys” video), the former Vampire Weekend bandmate whose new solo album Half-Light is out, spoke with John Norris at The Daily Beast in a wide-ranging interview, some of which had to do with queer themes in his music and coming out.

He told Norris that he believes artists should be able to come out on their own time, but that they should come out.

You might think pop stars singing openly about same-sex love is a relatively recent phenomenon. A new book explodes that myth.

David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 years of LGBT Music, by Bristol-based British writer Darryl W Bullock, takes a comprehensive look back at a century’s worth of queer artists.

Most of us are familiar with the likes of Elton John, Scissor Sisters, Freddie Mercury, Boy George and Sam Smith. However, music fans are likely to treasure this exhaustive tome as it highlights the contribution from many artists now forgotten or, in some cases, unappreciated during their lifetimes.

It also demonstrates that not only have there been LGBT recording artists since the dawn of recorded music but many did little to hide their sexual orientation.

For even the most seasoned music lovers and sound hounds, discovering LGBTQ musicians can prove daunting.

Only a handful identify as “LGBTQ musicians” themselves, as most identify simply as musicians, preferring not to box themselves into a set sound, lyrical set or target demographic. For the same reason, it’s rare to find a comprehensive listing of LGBTQ musicians on online stores or streaming apps; all artists, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are typically grouped by genre.

But with a little research and a lot of listening, we’ve created this living encyclopedia of LGBTQ musicians that can be used to discover new queer artists and give music-lovers an even deeper appreciation for those you already loved.

“We learned absolutely nothing about gay and lesbian people at home,” says Ruth Pointer, the eldest member of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters. It’s a surprising revelation, given the group — which was originally comprised of sisters Anita, Bonnie and June — has long supported the LGBTQ community and makes a habit of appearing at Pride festivals around the country, including this weekend at the Capital Pride Concert. But the sisters grew up in a strict religious household, where gay rights were never discussed.

“It wasn’t until we started in the music business, and got in touch with the scene over in Haight-Ashbury that we really came in contact with anyone who was gay,” Pointer says. Helping in their gay education was Sylvester James, who would not only become a friend, but go from being a member of avant-garde drag troupe The Cockettes to international fame as a star in his own right.